1. Has full-time manual focus

With full-time manual focus, you can move the focus ring whilst it is in AF (autofocus) mode. This means that you can make manual adjustments once the AF has finished, without changing to manual mode.

Sony 85mm F1.4 ZA Carl Zeiss Planar T*

Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS

62% have it

2. widest aperture at maximum focal length

With a wider aperture the sensor can capture more light, helping to avoid blur by enabling a faster shutter speed. It also provides a shallow depth of field, allowing you to blur the background to focus attention on the subject.

1.4f

Samyang XP 50mm f/1.2: 1.2f

4f

3. smallest aperture at maximum focal length

A smaller aperture reduces the amount of light reaching the sensor. This is important in bright conditions where a wider aperture could result in your image being overexposed. Another advantage is that with a smaller aperture you get a greater depth of field, and can keep all of the image in focus.

22f

Pentax HD DA 560mm F5.6 ED AW: 45f

22f

4. Can focus to infinity

Many lenses allow you to focus to infinity. This is essential when you wish to take photos including far off objects, such as when shooting landscapes, in order to make sure everything is sharp and in focus.

Sony 85mm F1.4 ZA Carl Zeiss Planar T*

Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS

63% have it

5. minimum focus distance

This is the closest distance that the lens can focus. A shorter minimum focus distance allows you to get closer to your subject, and is particularly important when doing macro photography.

0.8m

Zeiss Batis 40mm f/2 CF: 0.02m

0.25m

6. has built-in optical image stabilization

Optical image stabilization uses gyroscopic sensors to detect the vibrations of the camera. The lens adjusts the optical path accordingly, ensuring that any type of motion blur is corrected before the sensor captures the image.

Sony 85mm F1.4 ZA Carl Zeiss Planar T*

Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS

39% have it

7. Weather sealed

Device is protected with extra seals to prevent failures due to any kind of weather.

Sony 85mm F1.4 ZA Carl Zeiss Planar T*

Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS

30% have it

8. Is a wide angle lens

A wide angle lens is great for capturing larger areas of a scene, such as when doing architectural or landscape photography.

Sony 85mm F1.4 ZA Carl Zeiss Planar T*

Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS

27% have it

9. widest aperture

With a wider aperture the sensor can capture more light, helping to avoid blur by enabling a faster shutter speed. It also provides a shallow depth of field, allowing you to blur the background to focus attention on the subject.

f/1.4

Samyang XP 50mm f/1.2: f/1.2

f/4

10. has or is a prime lens

A prime lens has a fixed focal length. In general, these are sharper, with a wider aperture.

Sony 85mm F1.4 ZA Carl Zeiss Planar T*

Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS

49% have it

11. Front element doesn't rotate

The front element doesn’t rotate. This is important if you use filters, as some such as polarising or gradient filters have to be orientated a certain way.

Sony 85mm F1.4 ZA Carl Zeiss Planar T*

Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS

62% have it

12. Includes lens hood

It comes with a lens hood so that you don’t have to buy it separately. These are used to block strong light sources, such as the sun, from the lens to prevent glare and lens flare.

Sony 85mm F1.4 ZA Carl Zeiss Planar T*

Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS

58% have it

13. maximum angle of view

At the shorter end of the lens you get the widest angle of view. This allows you to fit more of the scene into the photograph (based on APS-C format).

29°

Leica APO-Summicron-SL 75mm f/2 ASPH: 318°

109°

14. minimum angle of view

At the longest end of the lens you get the narrowest angle of view. This allows you to fit a small portion of the scene into the photograph, such as when you are zooming in on a subject (based on APS-C format).

15. minimum focal length

A shorter minimum focal length allows you to get more of the scene in the photo, and offers a wider angle of view than longer focal lengths.

85mm

Canon EF 35mm F/2 IS USM: 0.24mm

10mm

16. maximum focal length

A longer maximum focal length allows you to focus in on a small part of a scene, and offers a narrower angle of view than shorter focal lengths.

85mm

Sigma 300-800mm F5.6 EX DG APO HSM: 800mm

18mm

17. smallest aperture at minimum focal length

A smaller aperture reduces the amount of light reaching the sensor. This is important in bright conditions where a wider aperture could result in your image being overexposed. Another advantage is that with a smaller aperture you get a greater depth of field, and can keep all of the image in focus.

22f

Pentax HD DA 560mm F5.6 ED AW: 45f

22f

18. aperture blades

The aperture controls how much light gets through to the camera’s sensor. More blades is often an indicator of a better quality lens. It also allows you to achieve much nicer looking bokeh when blurring out your background, whereas a lens with less blades will often produce harsher, more polygonal bokeh.

9

Lensbaby Velvet 85: 12

7

19. Has rounded aperture blades

Similar to the number of aperture blades, rounded blades affect the way the light gets through to the sensor. Rounded blades, often only found on more expensive lenses, improve the appearance of the out-of-focus areas. This allows you to attain better, softer looking bokeh in your photos.

Sony 85mm F1.4 ZA Carl Zeiss Planar T*

Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS

75% have it

20. optical zoom

The zoom range is the ratio between the longest and shortest focal lengths. A higher zoom range means that the lens is more versatile.

1x

Tamron 18-400mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD: 22.2x

1.8x

21. weight

335g lighter.

560g

Canon EF 400mm F/4 DO IS II USM: 2.1g

225g

22. Is a telephoto lens

A telephoto lens allows you to zoom in on far away objects. This is particularly useful when you need to photograph a subject from a distance, such as wildlife photography, or even in some cases street photography where you can’t get near the subject.

Sony 85mm F1.4 ZA Carl Zeiss Planar T*

Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS

37% have it

23. Lens hood is reversible

The lens hood can screw onto the lens in reverse so that you can keep it on your camera at all times, ready to use.

Sony 85mm F1.4 ZA Carl Zeiss Planar T*

Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS

23% have it

24. Has a metal mount

A metal mount is generally superior to a plastic mount as it is more durable.

Sony 85mm F1.4 ZA Carl Zeiss Planar T*

Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS

94% have it

25. Has focus motor

Lenses with a built-in focus motor can autofocus even if the camera does not have its own focus motor.